— Ph.D.,
University of Chicago

Contact

R S 306C •
Comparative Religious Ethics

The aim of this course is to examine and contemplate ideas about right and wrong as they are expressed in different religious traditions. We will use a case study approach to compare moral ideas related to: sexuality and gender, social justice, the environment, and violence. In looking at these topics we will discuss a variety of issues such as homosexuality, abortion, capital punishment, just war, responses to the ecological crises, and the relationship of humans to the natural world. The course will focus on comparison across four broad areas of religious practice: Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, and Native American religions.

THE BIBLE AND ITS INTERPRETERS examines the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament, the New Testament, and their significance over time. This particular course will focus on the emergence of three longstanding religious traditions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) through the interpretation of sacred and foundational writings. We will begin by examining the transmission and development of scriptural themes within Ancient Israel, identifying within the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament variations or re-tellings of common scenes, prophetic visions, and religious practices. We will then examine the New Testament as interpreting and transforming the Old Testament to provide foundations for Christianity, with emphasis on Paul’s letters as well as elements of the Gospels. The later part of the course will highlight three later texts that emphasize three trajectories of interpretation and innovation: the church Father Augustine’s Confessions for Christianity, the rabbinic anthology The Fathers According to Rabbi Nathan for Judaism, and the Koran for Islam. In each case we will emphasize the expansion and transformation of biblical sources in setting the course for each religion.

May be counted toward the writing flag requirement.

May be counted toward the global cultures flag requirement.

R S 313M •
Jewish Civ: Begin To 1492

This is the first half of a two-semester survey of Jewish civilization, from the origins of Ancient Israel to 1500 C.E. All materials are in English translation. The course will begin with readings from the Bible and the Ancient Near East, and at that time we will focus on the development of the civilization of the region now known as Israel or Palestine, including the complex cultural interactions of the second millennium B.C.E. We will have extensive readings from the Second Temple Period as well as classical rabbinic literature and other writings from the period known as Late Antiquity. The course will also include studies of Geonic and Medieval Judaism, including philosophy, poetry, and mystical writings.

Grading:

First paper (5 pages): 25%

Second paper (5 pages): 25%

Final Exam: 50%

Regular attendance, careful preparation of assigned texts, and participation in class discussions are considered to be basic requirements of the course.

R S 353 •
Mysticism In Rabbinic Judaism

This course examines topics that are arguably at the boundaries of the rational, the natural, and the conscious: Miracles, Magic, Mysticism, Myths, and Dreams. We will focus on texts (in English translation) of Classical Late Ancient Rabbinic Judaism. We will also study works of modern Europe and the United States, including writings by Michel de Certeau, Sigmund Freud, Andre Gorz, and Herman Melville. We will be reading primary sources that reward close and detailed analyses. I will give out handouts and short writing assignments on a regular basis. The payoff for our work will be a glimpse into a radically foreign culture of religious elites – a culture whose thought and practice have shaped the religious life of Jews to the present.

R S 385L •
Early Jewish/Christn Lit II

This course offers a graduate introduction to reading classical texts of Rabbinic Judaism. Students may study the sources in original languages or in English translation, or in other translations, as fits each person’s abilities. The learning goals of the class are (1) basic familiarity with the central texts of late ancient rabbinic Judaism, (2) familiarity with classic twentieth century studies and research tools, (3) encounter with current debates in the field of rabbinics, and (4) ability to find rabbinic texts as well as secondary sources relevant to a given research topic. The first part of the course will focus on goals (1) and (2), the second part of the course will focus on goal (3), and the final paper will draw together these elements with (4) as part of a graduate seminar paper project.

Readings in Current Debates including historical analysis, comparative study between rabbinic texts and other sources of the late ancient Mediterranean world, the nature of rabbinic biblical interpretation, and rabbinic law.

Grading:

Presentations (2): 50%

Final Paper (15 pages): 50%

Regular attendance, careful preparation of assigned texts, and participation in class discussions are considered to be basic requirements the course

R S 313M •
Jewish Civ: Begin To 1492

This is the first half of a two-semester survey of Jewish civilization, from the origins of Ancient Israel to 1500 C.E. All materials are in English translation. The course will begin with readings from the Bible and the Ancient Near East, and at that time we will focus on the development of the civilization of the region now known as Israel or Palestine, including the complex cultural interactions of the second millennium B.C.E. We will have extensive readings from the Second Temple Period as well as classical rabbinic literature and other writings from the period known as Late Antiquity. The course will also include studies of Geonic and Medieval Judaism, including philosophy, poetry, and mystical writings.

Grading:

First paper (5 pages): 25%

Second paper (5 pages): 25%

Take Home Final Paper, assigned at last lecture of course (10 pages): 50%

Regular attendance, careful preparation of assigned texts, and participation in class discussions are considered to be